Always with the Heart of Family
by Heaven Leigh Dahl
Summary: Set after Advent Children. VinXooc. Phoenix wants her revenge against the people that killed her cousin. But could love change what once held such a high place in her mind? Am not good at summeries, but chapter two is up!
1. Chapter 1

I do not own any of the characters except for Phoenix.

**ALWAYS WITH THE HEART OF FAMILY**

Phoenix pushed herself up in her seat, shaking sleep from her head. After a seven hour train ride, she was more than ready to get up and walk. There was only one reason that she would subject herself to such a tedious endeavor. Revenge.

She would get to the people that killed her cousin, and only friend. There was no way they would be able to get around her. There was no way that she would let them, even if they bothered to try. Her world had been shattered all over again by these people, there was nothing they could do to save themselves.

Pushing her black hair from her beautiful face, Phoenix sat up fully. There was only one thing distracting from such a beautiful young woman. Her eyes. They were disarming, to anyone who looked at her. Instead of a brown, or maybe a blue, as anyone would have thought to find, her eyes were a milky, almost pure white. A light blue faded from them, giving her an eerie appearance, when she actually looked at someone.

The only person that had ever treated her like she was normal was her cousin, and now, she was just a handicapped person. The only one from the Jenova project. No one suspected her to be a Soldier. That would play well for her part here. No one would suspect that she would harm anyone, she wasn't a great fighter in their eyes. Perfect.

Her plan was simple. Make these people think that she needed help, needed to be taken care of, and then when no one was ready for it she would strike. No one ever said no to helping a blind girl, and she knew how to use that to her advantage.

She smiled coldly. Sephiroth would be avenged, one way or another. With that thought in her mind, she left the train, stepping softly onto the platform. Dismissing the help of one of the workers, she grabbed up her bag which was filled with weapons, and left the station.

Vincent Valentine sat on one of the couches in Seventh Heaven, eyes halfway closed. He could hear Tifa in behind him in the kitchen, arguing half-heartedly with Cloud over the phone, and Marlene and Denzel were playing a game in the back room. It seemed so homey here. Ever since Cloud and Tifa had offered for him to stay with him he had cherished the feeling, though never letting on.

He knew that he shouldn't beat himself up over Lucrecia. The past was the past, isn't that what Tifa always said? But, she had given up so much to help him. His heart was still there, in that crystal, with the beautiful brown haired brown eyed doctor. He could still see her laughing with him, those expressive brown eyes sparkling with mischief as she pushed at a strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face. He could still feel her narrow waist in between his hands as he held her too him.

"Vincent…?" The voice was soft, like a tinkling of bells. He opened his eyes and saw Marlene and Denzel standing in front of him, looking worried. A slight throb in his knuckles told him the cause for their fear. His hands were clenched into fists on his lap. He wanted so much to hold her again..

"Hey there, Marlene, Denzel." He said easily, hoping to alleviate their worry. Marlene smiled widely at him, she was always the easiest to love.

"We wanted to know if you would play a game with us." She said, her voice chiming like bells again. "You promised!" Vincent shook his head, this little girl, somehow she made him forget that he wasn't worth love.

"Yeah, Vincent, you promised us yesterday that if it rained you would play a game with us." Denzel piped up, no long frightened. "It's raining." He pointed to the window, sure enough, it was pouring outside.

"I suppose I did promise." Vincent conceded. "What was it you two wanted to play?" Somehow, Marlene brightened further.

"We want to play Go Fish!" Marlene said enthusiastically. Vincent shook his head. After three hundred years, games change a lot.

"Well, you will have to show me how to play." He warned them, standing up. He allowed his cape to fall at his back as he followed the two children into what was designated the play room.

Phoenix shivered from cold as she walked through the city. It was perfect that it was raining on this day, but did it have to be so darn cold? She sneezed, drawling the attention of some children playing in an alley. At least, she believed that she had their attention, they had stopped their animated discussion when she emitted the squeaking sneeze. She rubbed her nose and kept on forward, unaware of the children following her.

At least, that's what they thought. They didn't try to be quiet, their footfalls were heavy on the cement walkway. Really, Phoenix hated hurting children, they were too innocent, but from the sound of it, these people wouldn't leave her be. Well, they could come in handy with her plan… If she could just refrain from fighting back…

"Hey, lady." A boy yelled behind her. "Got any money?" She kept her head down like a scared person would. This seemed to work in riling them up. "She thinks she's too good to help a bunch of kids get food, guys." He taunted.

A knocking at the door drew Vincent's attention from the strange card game about fish. He found it strange that the two children could like a game about fishing, but didn't like actually fishing. Looking through the doorway at Tifa's startled gasp, he saw a girl. It was very strange for new people to show up on their doorstep, so, Vincent found himself pushing to his feet and walking out.

Tifa was escorting her in when he made it to the living room. She appeared to be hurt, though her black hair hid her face from his view. Her clothes were torn and there was a bit of blood on her arms and legs. And, she was soaked to the bone. He was evaluating her when Tifa asked him to get a towel to help dry her off.

The last he saw before he made it to the bathroom was Tifa leading her to the spot he had occupied not an hour before. A thud indicated that she had not quite reached the couch when she had moved to sit down. She must really have been badly hurt, and extremely tired to have missed the couch, it was rather big. Of course her heard Tifa fretting over the girl, and then, quiet. It was almost a stunned silence.

Making his way back to the two girls, Vincent held two towels in his hands. "Here you go, Tifa." He said, putting them on the couch. The girl had made it onto the couch. "Um, is she alright?" He asked, feeling a bit awkward around the strange girl.

"I can hear." The girl piped up. Her voice, a bit more mature than he would have thought, chimed around the room, drawing his attention to the girl. She wasn't really much of a girl, he could see from her profile. She had fair skin, and an adorable upturned nose, but past those, she seemed to be almost seductive. Her lips were full and the lower one pouted out slightly. They were very kissable lips. "I may not be able to see anything, but my hearing's perfectly fine. Even a little better than most." Her comment intrigued him.

"Did something happen to your eyes?" He asked, trying to get a view of her face full on. The woman sighed and looked straight at him… Or a little to the left of him, but he still got the full impact of her snow white eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry." He muttered, realizing that she was blind.

"What are you apologizing for?" She asked, seeming to really contemplate the question. "I'm the one barging into your home." With that said, she squeaked… Or was that a sneeze. "Excuse me." She whispered, telling him that that strange noise was a sneeze.

"Oh, you are sick!" Tifa said, rushing once again to help her dry off. She seemed to get out of her daze with the squeak. "I have a change of clothes, if you need it." The woman shook her head.

"No, no, I have clothes in my bag." She said, looking around… Or moving her head in the action of it. Strange, watching someone act so normal but knowing that they weren't. Something in the way this woman held herself to Vincent not to help, though it would be easy to point out that her bag was not two feet to the left of her feet. Somehow, almost like she read his mind, the woman found her bag and pulled it to her.

"What's… May I ask your name?" Tifa asked quietly as the woman's hands searched her bag for clothing. The woman looked up at Tifa, her eyes missing the other woman's head by a good three feet.

"Phoenix." She said simply. "Here we go." She stood up, holding pants and another shirt. "Would someone please point me in the way of the bathroom?" She asked with a smile that somehow lit up her white eyes. Tifa looked uncomfortable for a second, gathering that the woman wanted to make her way to it on her own.

"It's down the hall, first door on the left…" She said, worried, but she knew what it was to be self reliant and wouldn't stop the girl from being the way she was. Phoenix nodded and began walking forward, knocking into the coffee table. Her laughter rang out around Vincent like butterflies.

"Oops." Phoenix said, leaning over and finding her way around the square table. "I forget that not every home is like mine." She shook her head to herself, laughing softly at herself. Her hand came in contact with Vincent's right thigh, causing him to gasp slightly at the sudden warmth, and tingling feeling. "Sorry." She said as she snatched her hand away. "Um.. Would you mind escorting me?" She asked, clearing not liking being dependant on anyone. Vincent nodded, then remembered that she couldn't see.

"Of course." He said, taking her elbow as softly as he could to guide her around objects. "How did you get injured?" He found himself asking.

"I was attacked outside this building." Phoenix answered. "I am sorry to inconvenience you and your wife, I will not be long here." She offered, holding her chin high. She wobbled slightly as she walked, sign that the wet, fatigue, and the attack were taking it's toll on her.

"Do not worry." He heard Tifa say, though she didn't say anything about the rest of the woman's comment. "You can stay as long as you need to. Everybody should be home soon." That sentence seemed to startle the woman.

"Everyone?" She asked Vincent in a whisper. "How many people are here now? How many will there be?" Vincent pushed her into the bathroom.

"There are four here now, I believe that by dinner tonight there will be four more people joining us." He said, closing the door between them slowly. There was something about that woman that made him want to put distance between them quickly. "So there should be no worry about you inconveniencing us." He closed the door completely and called through the wood. "I will be out here when you are done."

Phoenix quickly disrobed, feeling slightly shaky from her experience in the rain. She was a bit shocked to hear that so many people would be in the place that she was. She was not used to crowds. Usually she kept to herself, with the exception of when she was with her cousin.

Thoughts of Sephiroth brought her back to her purpose. These people who were acting so nice to her, they had killed her cousin. They would have to die. They had taken from her the most important thing in her life, and there was no way she could let them continue living when he was dead.

By the time that she was finished changing, she had broken out into a sweat. Leaning over the sink that she had used to keep herself upright, she turned on the water to splash over her face. She could almost hear Sephiroth speaking to her, his deep voice rumbling through her body and anything around. The room was getting warmer, it was almost stifling.

_"Things will change, one day, Cousin."_

She heard Sephiroth say as the room began to spin.

A/N: Short chapter to start with. Please review! This is my very first Final Fantasy VII Fanfiction, so please try to be nice.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anyone besides Phoenix.**_

_**Chapter 2**_

_Seven year old Phoenix walked through a field of grass, the grass so high that it came up to her waist. The sound of the wind blowing through the tall strands was a symphony to her highly tuned ears, the smell of nature the most abundant aroma her sensitive nose had ever smelt. The field behind her father's home was her sanctuary, giving her not solitude like every normal person wanted, but a place where she was accepted._

_Being blind since the day that she was born, Phoenix always knew that she wasn't normal. The servants of her father's home were always fawning over her, trying to make sure that she didn't bump into anything and hurt herself. Her father, when he was around, kept such a firm eye on her that she could almost feel it pressing into her head sometimes. And when she was outside amongst the normal people, and children, she heard the sympathetic gasps, whispers. People were really just glad that she wasn't their child. And they felt guilty about being glad._

_But in nature, the animals didn't care that she couldn't see. They would steer clear of her anyway, even if she could see them. Though they seemed to trust her more than anyone else that intruded into her sanctum. The trees never changed their position, the grass only ever grew, rocks didn't roll around on their own. And if she felt like playing with any part of her surroundings, no one said anything about it. Her private playground._

_Hearing a sound up in the direction of her father's home, Phoenix turned in the direction, searching with her senses. It sounded like something was breaking, glass maybe? As she drew closer she heard a shuffling, someone maybe fighting, and then quiet. Her hand on the door knob, Phoenix listened closely, but there were no more sounds._

_Suddenly, as she walked through the door, she heard a set of footsteps, then big, strong hands grabbed her arms and held her in place. Heart fluttering, she searched for the sound of her father or one of the maids nearby. The hands on her arms didn't feel familiar, they were too rough, with cuts on the palms. Being just a child, she didn't struggle. She knew that she was too small to actually impact what was going on around her, whatever it was._

_Suddenly, Phoenix heard a voice just in front of her, like the person was kneeling before her. It was her uncle, who from the first had told her to call him Dr. Hojo._

_"Phoenix." He said, in a voice that was trying to be kind. "You are going to come with me, alright?" He asked, his hand patting her cheek. Phoenix just nodded, afraid of what would happen if she said no to her uncle. Her father had always said that he had a vicious temper if he didn't get his way, and there was no way that she was going to test it._

_XxXxXxX_

_Phoenix woke up in her new room, shaking from the cold. It had been two weeks since her uncle had taken her from her father's house, and she still had no idea where her father was. She knew that she was there because her uncle wanted to try something with her. He was sure that he could cure her blindness, making him famous, and her happy, he was sure. But so far, Phoenix was miserable._

_Curling up in her bed, Phoenix kept her bandaged eyes tucked in the hollow of her legs, her forehead resting on her knees. She cried softly, too afraid to remind her uncle that she was there to make more than a small peep of sound. There was a knock at her door, and she shrank further into herself, not yet prepared for whatever pain Dr. Hojo had for her._

_The thick wooden door creaked open, a draft of more cold air wafting into the room. She forced herself to stop crying when she sensed it was someone else. There was another smell, besides the sterile one that her uncle always had._

_"Who… Who is there?" She asked her voice shaking slightly. She hadn't had any visitors since she arrived, and she wasn't sure if she should trust this one. The foot falls that made their way to her bedside were too slow to be someone who wanted to hurt her._

_"I'm your cousin, Sephiroth." The owner of the feet said. It was a man, probably around twenty, judging by his voice. Phoenix lifted her head slowly, confused. She had heard of a cousin, once, but she didn't know that he would be here. "I came to see you." Phoenix crawled to the end of her bed where she knew that the man was still standing. Reaching up at hand, she put it to his face._

_The action seemed to startle the man, who immediately stepped back, almost causing her to fall. "Are you really my cousin?" She asked._

XxXxXxX

Phoenix woke up with a start. She sat up in the strange bed that she was currently situated in and smelled the air. She had no clue where she was and she hated that feeling. The sudden movement made her head throb and she swore softly to herself. A man's barking laugh behind her made her jump again.

"I was told not to let you move." The man said. It was the man that had walked her to the bathroom. Well, at least she hadn't left her destination. "Do I have to push you back down or are you going to lay back on your own?"

Phoenix sneered in his direction and laid back on a semi fluffy pillow. "Like you could push me." She grumbled, crossing her arms over the blanket that covered her chest. "How did I get in here?" She asked a bit louder.

"You passed out in the bathroom." He said, and she could hear the sound of a chair creaking as he sat back. "I'm just glad that you didn't lock the door." His tone sounded a bit bored. "So, Phoenix, what are you doing here?"

Again, Phoenix sneered. "I believe that you put me in this bed, so you tell me." She snapped at him, hating that getting out of the strange bed would be hard enough for her with this man watching, if she didn't want to make a fool of herself. And, again she heard the man laugh.

"You passed out, Tifa made me bring you back here." So, that was the name of that woman. She closed her eyes, since there really was no need to keep them open. It's not like anyone could tell her to keep eye contact with the person she was talking to.

"Alright, so your wife's name is Tifa, and you know that my name is Phoenix. What is your name?" She asked, her voice showing that she wasn't that interested. Why did she need to worry about knowing the people that she planned to kill in the near future?

"My name is Vincent Valentine. And Tifa is not my wife." Vincent told her.

XxXxXxX

Vincent wasn't sure why he felt the need to correct this woman about Tifa being his wife, but he could tell that she really didn't care about whether she was or not. For some reason that bothered him. "What I meant to say before is why did you come to Seventh Heaven?" He asked, watching her. He'd been watching her for almost an hour, and he couldn't seem to bring himself to take his eyes off of her. There was something about her, she seemed to be less dependant than most people, even when she was unconscious. But, when she knew nothing of what was going on around her.. There was this innocence that compelled him. Her delicate fingers had been curled slightly, almost like she was holding something. That seductive mouth had been partially parted, allowing a small sigh to escape from the pink folds. While he had been sitting there watching her, Vincent had become transfixed.

"I had just gotten into town and a group of people jumped me as I was passing by. It was raining, I wanted to get somewhere safe." Phoenix explained quickly, almost like she was defending herself. "I can leave if I'm being an inconvenience." She said defensively.

"No, no." Vincent said, waving his hand dismissively. "Tifa would be very angry if I just let you walk out." He said as an excuse to keep her there. Though, he did allow a small smile to spread across his face. "She's going to make you stay here at least until you are well again." He added, reaching her right hand out to feel her forehead.

"What do you find so funny?" Phoenix asked, almost snapping at him. He looked at her for a minute, trying to figure out what she was talking about. "You are smiling." She pointed out.

"How did you know that?" Vincent asked, curiously. He knew that she was blind, just looking at her eyes told him that, didn't it?

"Your voice changed." She told him, opening her eyes to fix the snow white orbs on him. "It got lighter." He was impressed, he had never noticed that about anyone's voice, especially not his own.

XxXxXxX

Over the next week, Phoenix was kept in bed by Tifa, and somehow, whenever she got bored Vincent or a small girl named Marlene came to keep her company. She had come to like the little girl, finding her to be friendly and quite amusing. She made her remember when she was younger, before…

And then there was Vincent. Something about him seemed to draw her. His deep, almost uncaring voice intrigued her. There were times when he seemed to lighten up when she snapped at him. He seemed to find her anger to be amusing. So, lately she had taken to faking her anger, just to see if he would rise to meet her snaky remarks or if he would just find her humorous again.

She had met the other people that came around the place, Cloud, Yuffie, even Marlene's father once. A man named Reno had just stuck his head in to say hello, as had another man named Zack. She had only really spent any time with Marlene, Vincent and Tifa.

"Are you feeling better today, Miss Phoenix?" Marlene asked from her spot on the corner of Phoenix's bed. The girl had taken up that spot around five minutes earlier, and over the time, she hadn't really said much until the question had been asked.

"I'm feeling much better today, Marlene." Phoenix said with soft smile. "I hope that Tifa will actually let me out of this bed. It's tough being cooped up in a bed for such a long period of time."

"When you are out of bed, will you play with me and Denzel?" Marlene asked with a smile in her voice. That was so new to Phoenix, people smiling when they talk to her. She wasn't going to let them fool her, they still held the tag of her cousin's death on their heads.

"I might be able to arrange that." She responded, not able to stop herself from accepting such an offer. Tifa had already told her that she was welcome to stay as long as she needed or wanted. "Though, could we find a game that I will be able to play, please?" She asked, laughing softly to herself. The last game the little girl wanted to play was 'Go Fish' and since Phoenix couldn't see the cards, it wasn't a logical game.

"Denzel said he wanted to play Chinese checkers, can you play that?" She asked curiously. Phoenix thought about it for a second.

"We could have a regular checkers competition." Phoenix offered, hoping not to hurt the little girl's feelings. She heard a small giggle from the edge of her bed and knew right away that she hadn't.

"It was Denzel's idea anyway." She said, dismissively. Phoenix wondered where she got that attitude. "Will you play with us, Vincent?" Speak of the devil. Phoenix turned her head to the door to acknowledge Vincent, whom she assumed had just walked into the room.

"Hello, Mr. Valentine." She said, smiling softly. Why did the thought of him being in the room make her heart beat so? It was like it came alive whenever he was in the room.

"Hello." His voice came from the other side of the room, and closer to her head. It startled her. "And of course I will participate in the competition." He added for the little girl's benefit.

So, when Phoenix was able to get out of the bed, Marlene and Denzel lead her from the bedroom to the game room, where they already had the checkers board laid out, waiting for her. Phoenix, of course, lost in her first match, which happened to be against Vincent. Though she had a great time listening to the two children squabble about each other's turn. And she heard Cloud and Tifa having their own strangely playful argument in the kitchen.

Still, she steeled herself for what she would have to do. Of course she wouldn't hurt the children, they were to dear to her, and too innocent, but everyone else would have to pay for the damage that they had done to her small family.

XxXxXxX

"So, Phoenix." Vincent said, a few days later as he made the two of them lunch. They were the only two in the home, and he had taken the opportunity to get some time with her. "Tell me about your family. Why are you here, instead of with them." He knew it didn't come out right, more like he was asking her to leave, but that was the only way he could think to word the question. He could tell by her expressive face that she wasn't hurt by what he had said, so much. But there was a flash of pain that crossed her face.

"I don't have one." She told him, her head down, black hair falling in front of her eyes. "My mother died when I was born, and my father was killed when I was seven. After that I only had my cousin, but he was killed three years ago." Vincent was actually a little surprised that she had answered him so willingly.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Who have you been staying with all this time?" He asked, guessing that she was no more than eighteen.

"No one." She said truthfully. "I'm very good at taking care of myself. Besides, when my uncle was killed I was the only one to take over his estate. So, I haven't had to work, or really do much of anything." She said with a shrug. Vincent was really impressed by this girl, who seemed so vulnerable, but really didn't appear to need anyone.

Flipping the omelet onto a plate for Phoenix, Vincent put it in front of her and took the opportunity to watch her while she ate. There was something about her… Something familiar. It was like looking at someone.. Only a little different. What was it? She looked like someone he had known once. There was something about her that stirred up memories. And they weren't good ones, either. She somehow made him remember why he sealed himself in that coffin for so long before. Then, it hit him. She looked like Hojo, only if Hojo was a young woman.

A/N: Please Read and Review! This is my first FFVII fan fiction and I would like some input, if you could. XD Thanks!!


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